Best Practices in Care Cooperatives released at AGE-Platform EU Annual Assembly

The 2nd Best Practices in Care Cooperatives report was presented on 18th of November at the Annual Assembly of AGE Platform Europe, the voice of older persons at EU level.

The conference was an opportunity to discuss with organisations, policymakers and external guests how the EU should address age discrimination, while strengthening both economic and social rights of older people to empower them as older citizens.

Presenting the iCareCoops project as an example of older people’s contribution to an age-friendly and inclusive society during a round-table of experts, Louis Cousin, Project Officer at Cooperatives Europe, referred to cooperative case studies which ensure direct participation of the caretakers, families and older people alike.

The case studies featured in the latest 2nd Best Practices Report are based on 27 interviews with cooperatives from 12 European countries and serve as an in-depth continuation of the first report which provided insight into the sector, how cooperatives operate and main concerns. The new report addresses: 1) Founding of the cooperatives, members and services; 2) Ownership, financing and governance; 3) Use of ICT tools.

These real-life cases serve as excellent examples of the success of care cooperatives and provide ‘an inspiring inspiring preview over potential economic and social benefits generated on a territory when communities adopt and experiment cooperative models to address challenges related to generational transition and elderly care’.

Click here to view the full report and here to discover one of the featured case studies on care cooperatives blog.